ISLAMABAD: The spree of mysterious turns surrounding the 26th Constitutional Amendment continued on Friday after the treasury side, despite announcing to move the bill in the Senate, failed to bring the said legislative draft in the Upper House of the Parliament— against the conspicuous backdrop of a second clarification issued by the Supreme Court in the reserved seats case.
The House is now scheduled to meet again today (Saturday).
The turn of events in the House appeared more like a repetition of the last month’s (14 September) session when the Senate was all set to move the constitutional amendment before the apex court’s clarification order in the reserved seats case apparently resulted in the deferment of the government’s plan to pass this law that allegedly aims to clip the key powers of the superior judiciary.
On Friday, the Senate meeting saw notably thin attendance from the opposition side amidst the reports that several opposition senators, those of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in particular, had gone into hiding to avoid being nabbed by “unknown persons.”
PTI Parliamentary Leader Barrister Ali Zafar attended the Senate session— that saw significant attendance from the treasury side.
Although, the constitutional amendment was not part of the Senate’s regular agenda, it was expected to be moved in the House in supplementary agenda, a plan not materialised on Friday.
After the House transacted its regular agenda, Chairman Senate Yousaf Raza Gilani informed the House that the treasury side requested that the Senate be adjourned for an hour keeping in view that the meeting of the special panel reviewing the constitutional amendment was under way. However, the senators continued with their respective speeches on different subjects, as the House proceedings continued without break and were open to discussion on different topics.
Earlier, speaking on the floor of the House, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) Parliamentary Leader in Senate Atta-ur-Rehman, the younger brother of party chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman lambasted the alleged kidnappings of the parliamentarians to coerce them into voting for the amendment. “The situation surrounding the constitutional amendment turned ugly when our senators and MNAs were picked,” he deplored.
“What kind of highhanded tactics are they resorting to— just for an amendment,” he added. “Do we have to risk our lives for a constitutional amendment?”
JUI-F Senator Shakoor Khan is missing since yesterday and his whereabouts remain unknown, he said. “Why can’t we think about this amendment independently— you ask any stakeholder about the details of this constitutional amendment and nobody has a clue— what kind of proposed law is this? What legitimacy such a highly controversial law will have?”
Rehman urged the chairman Senate to intervene into the matter, and have the ‘forced abductions’ stopped. “It is your responsibility and that of your seniors to play your part in this regard,” he said.
The JUI-F’s proposed amendments to the government’s constitutional amendment draft are being supported by the opposition parties, Rehman said.
The JUI-F senator supported the PTI leaders demand to be allowed to meet Imran Khan to discuss the opposition’s amendment draft.
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) Parliamentary Leader in Senate Irfan Siddiqui said the government side held the JUI-F chief in high esteem, and, he said, his input on the proposed law is being considered and incorporated.
PML-N’s Talal Chaudhry criticised the apex court’s another clarification in the reserved seats case. “Whenever both Houses of Parliament meet to do legislation, a clarification comes,” he said. The House was adjourned till today (Saturday).
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024